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Lou Gehrig’s disease damages motor  neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons are nerve cells that control muscle movement. Upper motor neurons send messages from the brain to the spinal cord to the muscles. Motor neurons are an important part of the body’s neuromuscular system. The neuromuscular system enables our bodies to move and is made up of the brain, many nerves and muscles. Things that we do every day-like breathing, walking running, lifting stuff and even reaching for a glass of water-are all controlled by the neuromuscular system.

Here’s how the neuromuscular works: If you want to make a fist, your brain first sends signals through upper motor neurons to the area in your spinal cord that controls your hand muscles. Then lower motor neurons in your spinal cord signal the muscles in your hand to move and make a fist.

Over time, Lou Gehrig’s disease causes these motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord to shrink and dissappear, so that muscles no longer recieve signals to move. as a result, the muscles become smaller and weaker. gradually the body becomes paralyzed, which means that the muscles no longer work. However, someone with ALS, even at an advanced stage, can still see, hear, smell, and feel touch. The nerves that carry feelings of hot, cold, pain, pressure, or even being tickled, are not affected by Lou Gehrig’s disease. the parts of the brain that allows us to think, remeber, and learn are also not affected by the disease.

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Athletes who suffer concussions are at risk of a delayed recovery if they return to the field too quickly. Student athletes who return to sports quickly after a concussion appear to have a slower brain recovery than teens who stay off the field longer, a new study shows.

The report, from The Journal of Athletic Training, suggests that athletes who suffer from even mild concusions should slow down their return to the sports field. In fact, students  with less severe injuries appeared to be those who return to sports the fastest. But resuming intense physical activity appeared to slow their recovery and even exacerbated their symptoms.

“By continuing with high levels of activity, they began to exhibit similar symptoms to those who initially experienced a more concussion,” said Jason P. Mihalik, an athletic trainer from the University of North Carolina and an author of the study.

The reaserchers tracked the medical records and activity levels of 95 students athletes, including 15 girls, who had suffered concussions in school sports. The students were evaluated using cognitive tests immediatelt after the concussion and in follow-up visits. The data showed that athletes who engaged in the highest level of activity soon after the initial injury tended to demonstrate the worst neurocognitive scores and slowest reaction times. Students fared better if they didn’t return immediately to their sport but instead simply engaged in normal school and home activities.

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